SOURCE: “Layers of Emblematic Prose: Rabelais' Andouilles,” in The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. XXVI, No. 2, Summer 1995, pp. 367-77.

In the essay below, Weinberg considers the many levels of meaning in the attack of the Andouilles in the Quartre Livre, concluding that the Andouilles represent Lutherans and the flying hog represents the folly of Martin Luther's teachings.

The Andouilles of the Quart Livre are emblematic, signifying on at least five levels: (1) Andouilles are literally, tripe sausages; (2) visually, they resemble phalluses, eels, small sinuous animals; (3) politically and historically, they are a metaphor for the Protestant allies during the Schmalkaldic War—the Andouilles specifically are Lutherans; (4) mythically and epically, their behavior is reminiscent of ancient Greek or Roman war councils; the “truye” is a parody of the Trojan Horse; (5) on the religious level, Pantagruel's banquet (= mass) offends the Andouilles, who attack. The flying hog who halts the battle, founder and protector...